KAWASHIMA, Motoharu

He studied composition under Jo Kondo and Isao Matsushita at Tokyo University of the Arts and its graduate school. He has received numerous awards, including the 1992 Akiyoshidai International Composition Prize, the 1996 Darmstadt-Kranichstein Music Prize, the 1997 Akutagawa Composition Prize, the 2009 Kenzo Nakajima Music Prize, and the 2017 Toshi Ichiyanagi Contemporary Music Prize. 
His compositions have been performed both domestically and internationally, and he held an annual solo exhibition series, "Motoharu Kawashima works by ~," from 2017 to 2024. 
In addition to being a composer/conductor member of Ensemble Kochi, he is also involved in various performance activities as a conductor, pianist, percussionist, and vocalist, focusing on his own compositions and contemporary music. He held an annual recital series, "Motoharu Kawashima plays...", featuring different themes each time, from 2020 to 2024. 
He has been involved in numerous projects and commentaries on contemporary music, including serving as a concert advisor for the Izumi Sinfonietta Osaka. In September 2016, he appeared as a commentator on a contemporary music special on TV Asahi's "Tamori Club." Since then, he has appeared on many programs, including "Untitled Concert," NHK E Tele's "Numa ni Hamatte Kiitemita," Nippon Television's "Sekai no Hate Made Itte Q!", and NHK-FM's "Contemporary Music." 
He is the Vice Chairman of the Japan Federation of Composers.